Sherborn Planning Board Approves Stormwater Permit for 81 Prospect Street Project

SHERBORN -- December 2, 2025, Sherborn Planning Board unanimously approved a stormwater management permit for a residential reconstruction project at 81 Prospect Street that exceeded the one-acre land disturbance threshold after the original house foundation failed during construction. The permit, granted at the December 2 meeting of the five-member board, carries conditions drafted with Conservation Agent Joyce Hastings, including infiltration systems to capture the first inch of runoff from both the new house and barn roofs, armored stormwater outlets, slope stabilization upgradient of the new barn, and a 25-foot stone construction entrance if the unpaved secondary driveway is used by construction vehicles; the project also requires Conservation Commission approval before work continues. The board also unanimously endorsed an approval-not-required five-lot division at 69 Forest Street, where representative Terry Ryan described lots of three acres or more meeting all frontage and area requirements. The bulk of the evening was spent working through draft language for a revised stormwater bylaw targeting the 2026 Annual Town Meeting, with members debating whether to extend permitting authority beyond the town's current MS4 footprint to all town drainage infrastructure, a question left open pending consultation with town engineer Sean and town counsel.